The Federal Government has insisted that many of the terrorists responsible for killing Nigerians are foreign nationals who infiltrated the country through its porous borders.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, made the assertion on Sunday while addressing participants at the First Plenary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) held at St. Gabriel’s Chaplaincy, Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Abuja.
Akume acknowledged that insecurity remains a major challenge in Nigeria, noting that the problem is not peculiar to the country alone.
“Insecurity is a problem not only in this country but throughout the world. Even advanced countries are going through this,” he said.He described the pattern of killings as tragic, stressing that the violence predates the current administration.
According to him, intelligence reports indicate that many of those arrested in connection with recent attacks are not Nigerians.
“Many of these people who have been arrested don’t speak English. They speak very poor Hausa, but they speak French. Do we speak French in Nigeria? No,” he said.
While clarifying that extremist groups such as Boko Haram originated within Nigeria, the SGF maintained that several of the attackers currently operating in forests and rural communities, particularly in parts of Niger State and other affected areas, are from outside the country.
“Those who are doing the killings, most of them are from outside the country. I say what I know to be true based on security reports,” Akume stated.Nigeria was recently designated a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) over security and religious freedom issues, a development the SGF said has led to increased international cooperation, particularly with the United States.
He referenced recent drone strikes in Sokoto as evidence that the government is not passive in addressing the threat.
“It is not that we are just sitting by. America is cooperating with Nigeria. We are working together,” he said.
Akume also disclosed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent visit to Turkey was partly to procure additional military equipment, including drones and other advanced armaments, to strengthen the country’s security architecture.
“The main reason the President was in Turkey was to purchase more armaments. This includes drones. So we are not just sitting idle,” he said.On the controversial issue of reintegrating former terrorists, the SGF clarified that attempts to reintegrate Boko Haram members were initiated during the previous administration but did not progress significantly and were eventually halted.
“There were attempts to put them in the military, but that was resisted. That was not done,” he explained, expressing hope that such measures would not be reintroduced without due consideration.
Akume urged stakeholders, including religious leaders, to approach the issue of insecurity with intellectual objectivity and a holistic understanding of the complexities involved.
“You will have your own session and dissect whatever we say. But let me say what I have as a security report,” he told the gathering.
